Electrode assembly having various communicative solutions

ABSTRACT

Technologies and implementations for a defibrillator electrode having communicative capabilities are generally disclosed.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/858,543, filed on Jul. 25, 2013, titled SmartElectrodes and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/971,488, filed on Mar. 27, 2014, titled Smart Electrodes, both ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in thissection are not prior art to the claims in this application and are notadmitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

A heart, such as a human heart, facilitates pumping of blood to and fromvarious parts of a body. The heart commonly beats at a regular rate andregular rhythm. However, a symptom may occur, where the electricalcontrol system of the heart may malfunction, which may cause the heartto beat irregularly or not at all. Additionally, the regular rhythm ofthe heart may be negatively affected, which may be generally referred toas an arrhythmia. Arrhythmia may be caused by many factors, but ingeneral, arrhythmia may be caused by a malfunction in the electricalcontrol system of the heart. Some types of arrhythmias may result ininadequate blood flow resulting in reduction or lack of the amount ofblood pumped to the various parts of the body. For example, issues withthe sinoatrial (SA) node may lead to arrhythmia of some kind. Somearrhythmias may lead to a condition known as sudden cardiac arrest(SCA). In an SCA condition, the heart may fail to pump bloodeffectively, and as a result, death may occur.

An example type of arrhythmia, which may be associated with SCA, may bea condition known as ventricular fibrillation (VF). VF may be acondition where a ventricle or ventricles, which make up the heart tofacilitate the pumping of blood, may make uncoordinated movementsinstead of steady rhythmic movements. In the VF condition, the heart maynot pump adequate amount of blood or may not pump blood at all, whichmay eventually lead to death. Another type of arrhythmia, which may beassociated with SCA, may be a condition known as ventricular tachycardia(VT). An electronic device may also be utilized to help sense, monitor,or treat a medical condition such as cardiac VF by defibrillating theheart. An example of an electronic device may be a defibrillator device.A defibrillator device may be capable of providing an electrical signal,commonly in the form of an electric shock, to the heart in the VFcondition. The defibrillator device may provide the electrical signal toa heart externally (i.e., through the surface of a body) via accessoriescommonly known as electrodes. Commonly in the form of a pad, as the namemay imply, the electrode may facilitate transfer of the electricalsignal from the defibrillator device to the heart through the surface ofthe body. Because of the nature of the function of the electrode, theelectrode may be considered to be a consumable accessory (i.e., theelectrode may have a limited number of uses, may have a shelf life, mayhave compatibility requirements with certain defibrillator devices,etc.), albeit one of an important accessory.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure describes example methods, apparatus, and systemsrelated to an electrode having communicative capabilities. Exampleapparatus may include a communicative apparatus for use with adefibrillator device. The communicative apparatus may comprise anelectrode, where the electrode may be configured to be used with thedefibrillator device, a thin film circuit disposed on a first surface ofthe electrode, where the thin film circuit may be configured to be aradio-frequency identification (RFID) circuit, a gel disposed on asecond surface substantially opposite the first surface, a gel integritysensor disposed in physical contact with the gel, where the gelintegrity sensor may be communicatively coupled to the thin filmcircuit, and a connector electrically coupled to the electrode, wherethe connector may be configured to electrically connect the electrode tothe defibrillator device and be communicatively coupled to the thin filmcircuit.

Another example apparatus may include a communicative apparatus for usewith a defibrillator device. The communicative apparatus may comprise anelectrode, a watermark, where the watermark may be integrated with theelectrode on a first surface of the electrode, a gel, where the gel maybe disposed on a second surface substantially opposite the first surfaceof the electrode, a connector, where the connector may be electricallycoupled to the electrode, where the connector may be configured toelectrically connect the electrode to the defibrillator device, and anelectrical signal interrupt module communicatively coupled to theconnector and the defibrillator device, where the electrical signalinterrupt module may be configured to interrupt an electrical signalfrom the defibrillator device based, at least in part, on an interruptsignal from the defibrillator device.

Another example apparatus may include a communicative apparatus for usewith a defibrillator device. The communicative apparatus may comprise ofan electrode, a printed circuit disposed on a first surface of theelectrode, a display device disposed on the first surface of theelectrode, where the display device may be communicatively coupled tothe printed circuit, a gel disposed on a second surface substantiallyopposite the first surface, a gel integrity sensor disposed in physicalcontact with the gel, where the gel integrity sensor may becommunicatively coupled to the printed circuit, a connector electricallycoupled to the electrode, where the connector may be configured toelectrically connect the electrode to the defibrillator device, and anelectrical signal interrupt module communicatively coupled to theconnector and the defibrillator device, where the electrical signalinterrupt module configured to interrupt an electrical signal from thedefibrillator device based, at least in part, on an interrupt signalfrom the printed circuit.

Another example apparatus may include a communicative apparatus for usewith a defibrillator device. The communicative apparatus may comprise ofan electrode, where the electrode may be configured to be used with thedefibrillator device, a thin film circuit disposed on a surface of theelectrode, the thin film circuit may be configured to be a storagemedium, and a connector electrically coupled to the electrode, where theconnector may be configured to electrically connect the electrode to thedefibrillator device and be communicatively coupled to the thin filmcircuit.

An example method may include detecting an electrical signal at adefibrillator electrode, determining an integrity level of a geldisposed on the defibrillator electrode, where the determined integritylevel may have an indication of a conductivity level of the gel,determining if the conductivity of the gel is within a predeterminedrange, and interrupting substantially most of the electrical signalbetween the defibrillator electrode and a defibrillator device.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be inany way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments,and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in theconcluding portion of the specification. The foregoing and otherfeatures of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent fromthe following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict onlyseveral embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are,therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosurewill be described with additional specificity and detail through use ofthe accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system for use with a communicativeapparatus, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate block diagrams of an electrode havingcommunicative capabilities, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate block diagrams of an electrode havingcommunicative capabilities, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate block diagrams of an electrode havingcommunicative capabilities, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating components of an electricaldevice, which may be used and in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates an operational flow for an electrical deviceelectrode having various communicative capabilities, arranged inaccordance with at least some embodiments described herein;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computer program product 700, arranged inaccordance with at least some embodiments described herein; and

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device 800,such as might be embodied by a person skilled in the art, which isarranged in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description sets forth various examples along withspecific details to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subjectmatter. It will be understood by those skilled in the art, however, thatclaimed subject matter may be practiced without some or more of thespecific details disclosed herein. Further, in some circumstances,well-known methods, procedures, systems, components and/or circuits havenot been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuringclaimed subject matter.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings,similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless contextdictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in thedetailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting.Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made,without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matterpresented here. It will be readily understood that the aspects of thepresent disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated inthe Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, and designed in awide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitlycontemplated and make part of this disclosure.

This disclosure is drawn, inter alia, to methods, apparatus, and systemsrelated to an electrode, which may also be referred to as electrodeassembly or electrode package. Such electrode may include electrode padsalso known as communicative apparatuses, signal lines, and/or aconnector, which may facilitate interfacing with an electrical device,such as, but not limited to, a medical device (e.g., a defibrillatortype device) and having various communicative capabilities.

Heart related issues have become prevalent throughout many parts of theWorld. For example, in the United States, coronary heart disease may beconsidered a health problem. Coronary heart disease may lead to issuesrelated to the heart such as, but not limited to, arrhythmia. Somearrhythmias may lead to a condition known as sudden cardiac arrest(SCA). An example condition of SCA may be ventricular fibrillation (VF),where the heart muscles may basically quiver and not pump blood. Suchconditions may be detected, monitored, and treated utilizing electricaldevices and their respective accessories, where the accessories mayinclude electrical accessories such as, but not limited to, electrodes.These electrodes may be utilized as therapy and/or monitoring electrodesand may include metallic plate separated by a dielectric type ofmaterial.

In order to treat a heart in a condition of VF, the heart may need to bedefibrillated by the application of an electrical signal (e.g., anelectric shock). In order to defibrillate the heart, a medical devicesuch as a defibrillator device may be utilized. A defibrillator devicemay facilitate administration of an electrical shock to the heart,thereby defibrillating the heart undergoing VF. The shock may terminateVF providing the heart the opportunity to resume pumping blood. If VF isnot terminated, the shock may be repeated at varying energies or VF maylead to the death of the person.

A challenge with defibrillation may be that the electrical shock shouldbe administered very soon after the onset of VF. The challenge ofdefibrillating early after the onset of VF may be met in a number ofways. For example, a person who may be considered to be at a high riskof VF or other heart arrhythmia may have an Implantable CardioverterDefibrillator (ICD). An ICD may monitor the person's heart andadminister an electrical signal as needed. As such, an ICD may reducethe need to have the high-risk person be monitored constantly by medicalpersonnel. In some instances, a person may be diagnosed as being atrisk, but must wait for an ICD. In such instances, the person may bemonitored with a wearable device or a device, which a person may be ableto carry. The wearable device (not shown) may include monitoringelectrodes. Based, at least in part, on the condition of the personwearing a wearable device, the device and/or the electrodes may becapable of calling for help and/or discharging a shock using therapyelectrodes. In the meantime, an alarm may be transmitted and help may beon the way with emergency equipment. Such types of electrodes may thenbe disconnected from the wearable device and re-plugged into anotherdevice, such as the device brought to the scene by an emergency/medicalpersonnel or any one else.

Unfortunately, in some instances, VF may occur unpredictably to anyperson, even to a person who may not have been considered to be at highrisk. When VF occurs to a person who does not have an ICD, the personmay collapse due to inadequate and/or lack of blood flow. The personundergoing VF should receive treatment including defibrillation asquickly as possible and easy transferability of connectors, devicesand/or data may facilitate saving of time and/or potentially, life of aperson.

For a person experiencing VF without an ICD, an external type ofdefibrillator device may be utilized to defibrillate the heart. Theremay be several types of external defibrillator devices such as, but notlimited to, wearable defibrillators, manual defibrillators,semi-automated defibrillators, and automated defibrillators. An exampletype of external defibrillator device may include defibrillator devicesintended to treat multiple people using disposable electrodes and/ormore permanent electrodes (e.g., paddles). The defibrillator devicesfound in medical centers may be described as advanced life support (ALS)type defibrillator devices. ALS type defibrillator devices may have awide range of functionalities including allowing healthcareprofessionals to monitor a person's rhythm via electrodes and manuallyintervene if is determined that a shock is necessary.

Another example type of external defibrillator device may include adefibrillator device intended to treat a limited number of people suchas, but not limited to, a single person. Single person type externaldefibrillators may include relatively small (i.e., portable) externaldefibrillator devices. An example of a single person type externaldefibrillator may be an automated external defibrillator (AED) typedevice. AED type devices may be found in various private and/or publicplaces such as, but not limited to, offices, train stations, airports,stadiums, hospitals, homes, vehicles, vessels, planes, trains,automobile, etc. AED type devices may be commonly for use by a laypersonand/or a person with basic life support training.

Another example type of external defibrillator device may includewearable defibrillator devices, which may be worn outside the body.Wearable defibrillator devices may continuously monitor a person's heartwith electrodes capable of sensing to detect VF or other heartarrhythmia. Wearable defibrillator devices may provide an intermediatecare option for a person having a high risk of a coronary heart eventand/or a person who may not be a candidate for an ICD.

Since the electrical device may be used to treat a person, to helpensure proper operation, each type of a defibrillator/monitor may bedesigned to be compatible with proper fitting, and up-to-dateelectrodes, which may be encrypted for device recognition and/oradjustment of functionality based, at least in part, on an encryptionpairing and/or authentication.

For the purposes of describing the disclosed subject matter, referencesmay be made to AED type devices. However, it should be appreciated thatAED type devices are but one non-limiting example, and accordingly, inthis respect, the claimed subject matter is not limited.

Continuing with the non-limiting example of an AED type device, a commonAED type device may be have a form factor similar to a small portablecarry case and may include a handle. Commonly, an AED type device mayinclude a power source (e.g., a battery), a processor (e.g.,computing/control module), and at least two electrodes (e.g., electrodepads). Additionally, an AED type device may be of at least two types,semi-automated and fully automated defibrillators.

Defibrillator type devices may have various accessories. One example ofan accessory, which may be commonly used with defibrillator typedevices, may be electrodes. In the non-limiting example of an AED, anAED may have two electrodes communicatively coupled to it.Alternatively, an AED may have a single electrode having capabilities ofcommunicating an electrical signal to and from the heart (e.g., a largebutterfly shaped single electrode pad having two contacts). As part of anon-limiting example, usage of a defibrillator may be described.

In an example scenario, a person may be undergoing VF and may be on theground in a public space (e.g., a subway station). A user may see theperson and locate and retrieve an AED from its holding location (e.g.,AED cabinet on a column and/or wall). The user would open the AEDpackage and proceed to turn on the AED, at which point, the AED willinstruct the user to attach the electrodes to the person. Alternatively,the user may turn on the AED and proceed to open the electrodeassembly/package. However, the process by which the user may proceed toutilize the AED may be in a wide variety of manners based, at least inpart, on the manufacturer of the AED and/or the electrode and/or theapplicability of the AED. The electrodes may be in individual packagesto be opened and connected to the AED before being placed on the person.

It should be appreciated that in some implementations, the electrodesmay already be connected to the defibrillator type device. For example,the defibrillator device may be a type of device utilized by emergencypersonnel (i.e., as a person is being transported or at a medicalfacility).

The electrodes may be placed on a person undergoing VF at appropriatelocations on the person's body, as instructed by the AED. Appropriateplacement of the electrodes may effectively provide the electrical shockto the person's heart. Once the electrode pads are placed in theappropriate locations on the person's body, the electrodes may providean electrical signal to the AED, where the processor may determine therhythm of the heart (i.e., the AED may read electrical signals from theelectrodes). Once the rhythm of the heart is determined, the processorof the AED may control the AED to charge itself to an appropriate leveland indicate to the user of the AED that the person undergoing VF willneed to be electrically shocked. At this point, in the case of anautomated AED, the AED may provide various warnings to the user of theAED and/or to anyone else in the vicinity of the AED and proceed toadminister the electrical shock to the person undergoing VF.Alternatively, in the case of a semi-automated AED, the user of the AEDmay be provided an indication (e.g., audio and/or visual signal) by theAED to activate the electrical shock (e.g., by pressing a button on theAED). In either scenario, a good outcome would be that the personundergoing VF may be defibrillated by the electrical shock.

As described above, because defibrillation includes electrical signals(e.g., either heart rhythm information to the AED and/or electricalshock to the person undergoing VF), proper contact between theelectrodes and the person may provide the desired electricalconnectivity between the electrode pads and the person to deliver theappropriate electrical shock. In order to help facilitate proper contactbetween an electrode and a person, the electrode pads may have a gelatinlike substance. The gelatin like substance may be of the type that mayprovide sufficient contact with the skin of a person to facilitateproper electrical signals to and from the person. The gelatin likesubstance (here on out “gel”) may be a wide variety of aqueous solutionssuch as, but not limited to, gels having low electrical impedance. A gelmay provide not only proper contact with the skin of the person, but mayalso facilitate proper adhesion with the skin of the person. Twoexamples of gels may be a wet gel and a solid gel, where the wet gel maybe more aqueous, while the solid gel may be more solid than aqueous. Awide variety of dielectric type materials may also be utilized.

It may be noted here that in order to facilitate proper type ofdefibrillation by an AED, the AED should be able to receive electricalsignals from the person undergoing the arrhythmia. Accordingly, propercontact with the person's skin may be important in order for the AED toreceive the appropriate electrical signals to properly treat the person(e.g., deliver the correct amount of shock and at the appropriate time).In order to facilitate proper contact with a person's skin, a gel may beapplied to the electrode pads. The gel may be utilized as a bondingmaterial between the electrodes and the skin of the person (e.g., by thegel seeping into the pores of the person). However, over time and/or dueto incorrect storing conditions, such as high temperature, for example,the gel may deteriorate and the electrode pad's electrical propertiesmay be compromised (e.g., may dry out, lose its effectiveness, and/orchemically breakdown). In order to address potential integrity issueswith the gel, a common method by a manufacturer of an electrode may beto provide an expiration date, beyond which the gel may lose itseffectiveness. For example, the gel may not adhere properly to the skinof a person, and may result in the electrode not maintaining propercontact with the person's skin (e.g., perhaps during movement of theskin under cardio pulmonary resuscitation or CPR compressions). Thus,the integrity of the gel may be considered to be one of many importantfactors for improving the chances of survival for a person undergoingsome form of heart arrhythmia.

Either a defibrillator device manufacturer may typically produceaccessories, such as electrodes, or a company authorized by thedefibrillator device manufacturer. These accessories may be made tovarious standards to work properly with the defibrillator device. Whiletransferability of accessories may be important time saving feature,some companies may make accessories that may not necessarily beauthorized by the device manufacturer but still may work with thedefibrillator device (e.g., aftermarket as opposed to original equipmentmanufacturer or OEM). These accessories may be known as unauthorizedaccessories. At times, unauthorized accessories may not be made to thequality standards as prescribed by certain defibrillator devicemanufacturers (i.e., authorized accessories) or may not be fullyverified with certain defibrillators. For example, unauthorizedaccessories may not have been tested or validated with the device toconfirm functionality, and accordingly, their efficacy may not be ableto be confirmed to ensure that the overall system may function asintended (i.e., to potentially address a life threatening situation). Asa result, some unauthorized accessories may cause the defibrillatordevice to not function as well, or even may cause the defibrillatordevice to malfunction, including person not being defibrillated properlyand/or not receiving the necessary shock or shock level, both of whichmay compromise the proper treatment of a person, which may ultimatelyeven lead to death of the person (i.e., a potential safety issue). Usersmay not necessarily be able to distinguish between authorized andunauthorized accessories because some unauthorized accessories may beproduced and marked similarly to authorized accessories. Thus, is may bedifficult to determine whether the accessory is an authorized accessoryor an unauthorized accessory (i.e., chance that the accessory willoperate properly). As such, electrodes as disclosed herein may includesecurity features such as, but not limited to, encryption key orencryption data. For example, when communicatively coupled with anelectronic device (e.g., plugged into a device), the electrodes may beidentified by the device and/or recognizable by the device, andaccordingly, may facilitate transfer of electrode and/or personinformation (e.g., electrode and/or patient data) to any other device.

Before moving on to the description of the figure, even though the abovemay have been mostly described with respect to a defibrillator device,it should be appreciated that it is contemplated within the presentdisclosure that the claimed subject matter may be applicable to a widevariety of devices, which may or may not utilize electrode type devices,such as, but not limited to, biosensor type devices. In one example, abiosensor type device may monitor electrical activity of a person bymonitoring the electrical activity of the person's heart over time suchas, but not limited to, electrocardiogram (i.e., ECG or EKG). In anotherexample, an electrode or electrodes may be utilized by a biosensordevice, which may monitor cerebral activity (i.e.,electroencephalography as may be monitored by an EEC biosensor device).Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is not limited in scope to theparticular implementations described herein.

Additionally, it should be appreciated that a person may include theyoung and the elderly. Accordingly, it is contemplated within thepresent disclosure that the claimed subject matter may be applicable toa wide variety persons such as, but not limited to, children (i.e.,pediatric), elderly (i.e., geriatric), male, female, and so forth. Forexample, an electrode and/or electrical device may have the capabilitiesto determine whether to administer and/or treat a pediatric person or ageriatric person, and any range in between. Accordingly, the claimedsubject matter is not limited in scope to the particular implementationsdescribed herein.

Because the disclosure encompasses a wide variety of devices, it iscontemplated within the present disclosure that the claimed subjectmatter is not limited to devices, which may use electrodes. For examplean electrode may be able to communicate and/or provide information to awide variety of devices, including those devices that may notnecessarily utilize electrode type devices. In one example, an electrodetype device may include information about a first device the electrodedevice may have been attached and utilized, and subsequently, theelectrode type device may provide the information about the first deviceto a second device. The information may include any information such as,but not limited to storage device identification number, electrode typedevice lot number, electrode type device date of manufacture, electrodetype device expiration date, electrode type device date installed,electrode type device manufacturer part number, electrode type devicelot code, use-by date, date of manufacture of the electrode type device,functionality of the electrode type device, cyclic redundancy check(CRC) of the electrode type device, serial number for the first devicethe electrode type device was installed, date of installation for thefirst device, serial number of the second device the electrode typedevice was installed, date of installation for the second device, soforth, number of shocks delivered with the electrode type device,minutes of monitoring with electrode type device, minutes of pacing withthe electrode type device, time worn with the electrode type device,maximum number of uses (if reusable) with the electrode type device,etc. In another example, an electrode type device may have been firstattached to an AED, and then communicatively coupled to a subsequentmedical device, which may have capabilities of analyzing all, any, andany combination of information from the electrode type device.Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is not limited in scope to theparticular implementations described herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system for use with a communicativeapparatus, in accordance with various embodiments. Shown in FIG. 1, asystem 100 may comprise an electrical device, such as, but not limitedto, a defibrillator device 102, a first communicative apparatus 104, anda second communicative apparatus 106. The first communicative apparatus104 and the second communicative apparatus 106 may be communicativelycoupled to the defibrillator device via a first signal line 108 betweenthe first communicative apparatus 104 and the defibrillator device 102and a second signal line 110 between the second communicative apparatus106 and the defibrillator device 102. Additionally, an outline of aperson 112 may be illustrated to provide an example context to thedisclosed subject matter. A representation of a human heart 114 may alsobe illustrated in FIG. 1. As will be described in detail, the system 100may facilitate utilization of a defibrillator electrode having variouscommunicative capabilities, in accordance with various embodiments.

The first communicative apparatus 104 and the second communicativeapparatus 106 may comprise of electrodes configured for use with thedefibrillator device 102, and accordingly, the first communicativeapparatus 104 and the second communicative apparatus 106 may becollectively referred to as an electrode or an electrode pad.Additionally, it should be appreciated that even though twocommunicative apparatuses 104 and 106 may be shown in FIG. 1, twocommunicative apparatuses 104 and 106 may be a single communicativeapparatus (e.g., a single pad having contacts to provide electricalsignaling across the heart 114). Accordingly, for ease of understandingthe disclosure, the first communicative apparatus 104 and the secondcommunicative apparatus 106 together with a first signal line 108between the first communicative apparatus 104 and the defibrillatordevice 102 and a second signal line 110 between the second communicativeapparatus 106 and the defibrillator and the connector 117 connecting thefirst communicative apparatus 106 and second communicative apparatus 108via the signal lines to the defibrillator device 102 may be referred tocollectively as an electrode, electrode assembly, electrode package, andso forth. However, for the ease of understanding and describing thedisclosure, the two communicative apparatuses 104 and 106 may bereferred to as electrodes. As illustrated in FIG. 1, an electricalsignal 116 may pass between the electrodes 104 and 106, which may causedefibrillation of the heart 114. As will be described in further detail,the electrodes 104 and/or 106 may have various communicativecapabilities, in accordance with various embodiments. As part of thecommunicative capabilities, it is contemplated within the scope of theclaimed subject matter that the communicative capabilities may include awide variety of communicative capabilities such as, but not limited to,wired, wireless, infrared communication, near field communication (NFC),Bluetooth, WiFi (any implementation of wireless protocols, e.g.,802.11), and/or any combination thereof. Accordingly, the claimedsubject matter is not limited in scope to the particular implementationsdescribed herein.

FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate block diagrams of an electrode havingcommunicative capabilities, in accordance with various embodiments.Shown in FIG. 2a is an electrode 200, which may be configured to be usedwith a defibrillator device 102. The electrode 200 may have a thin filmcircuit 202 disposed on a first surface 204 of the electrode 200. Thethin film circuit 202 may include various functional blocks such as, butnot required or limited to, a transmit and/or receive module 220, astorage medium 222, a processor module 224, and a power supply module226. Alternatively, a storage medium 222, and/or a processor module 224,and/or a power supply module 225 may be included with the connector 212.In still further examples, no processor module 224 may be included.

In one example, the thin film circuit 202 may be configured to be aradio-frequency identification (RFID) circuit. In another example, thethin film circuit 202 may be configured to be an RFID tag, and furtherbe configured to be at least one of a passive RFID tag, an active RFIDtag, or a battery-assisted RFID tag.

In FIG. 2b , a second surface 206 of the electrode 200 may be shown. Thesecond surface 206 may be substantially opposite the first surface 204(shown in FIG. 2a ), and a gel 208 may be disposed on the second surface206. Additionally, a gel integrity sensor 210 may be disposed inphysical contact with the gel 208. The gel integrity sensor 210 may becommunicatively coupled to the thin film circuit 202. In both FIGS. 2aand 2b , a connector 212 may be shown electrically coupled to theelectrode 200 and configured to electrically connect the electrode 200to the defibrillator device 102. In some examples, the connector 212 maybe transferable, where the connector 212 is capable of beingdisconnected from one type of a device and connected to anotherelectrical device. For example, the connector 212 may be disconnectedfrom a wearable and/or a monitoring device to a defibrillator typedevice or another electrical device brought in by en emergency/medicalpersonnel or a bystander in some situations. The connector 212, may thenfacilitate efficient information (i.e., data) transfer with respect to aperson and/or an electrical device the connector 212 was previouslycommunicatively between devices and/or computing devices/systems. Forexample, devices manufactured by the same manufacturer. Using the sameconnector 212, a patient monitoring module may be paired with anelectrical device such as, but not limited to, a defibrillator typedevice, without the need to disconnect the electrodes from either theperson and/or the person monitoring device/module. In another example,the electrode 200 may not need to be disconnected from the person, buthowever, if another defibrillator type device is utilized, the connector212 may be re-attached to another electrical device. In such an example,the electrode 200 may facilitate transfer of the monitoring and/ortherapy information along with a wide range of information regarding theperson and/or the electrode 200 to the other electrical device, such as,but not limited to, a defibrillator, a computer, a biosensor, and soforth.

The electrode 200 shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b may facilitate variouscommunicative capabilities for use with the defibrillator device 102, inaccordance with at least some embodiments.

In one example, the gel integrity sensor 210 may be a conductivitysensor capable of determining a conductivity level of the gel 208.Additionally, the gel integrity sensor 210 may be capable ofcommunicating the determined conductivity level of the gel 208 to thethin film circuit 202. In another example, the gel integrity sensor 210may be a combined humidity and temperature sensor. In this example, thegel integrity sensor 210 may be capable of determining the humidity andtemperature the gel 208 may have been subjected to before beingcommunicatively coupled to the defibrillator device 102.

The gel 208 may be an aqueous material, which may be at least one of aconductive gel and/or an adhesive gel for use with the electrode 200(e.g., an electrolytic gel). Additionally, the gel 208 may be disposedon the second surface 206 in a package form (e.g., a packaged gel havingadhesive properties on a surface for contact with the body of a person).

The connector 212 may include an electrical signal interrupt module 216communicatively coupled to the thin-film circuit 202. In the example ofthe connector 212 including the electrical signal interrupt module 216,the connector 212 may be configured to interrupt substantially mostelectrical signals between the electrode 200 and the defibrillatordevice upon receiving an interrupt signal from the thin film circuit202. As will be described, not all electrical signals may beinterrupted, but at least the electrical shock may be interrupted.

Shown in FIG. 2a is a connector 212, which may be configured to be usedwith an electrical device such as, but not limited to, the defibrillatordevice 102 (shown in FIG. 1). In should be appreciated that in someexamples, the connector 212 may include various functional blocks suchas, but not required or limited to, a transmit and/or receive module,such as module 220, a storage medium such as storage medium 222, aprocessor module such as processor module 224, and a power supplymodule, such as power supply module 226. Alternatively, a storage medium222, and/or a processor module 224, and/or a power supply module 225 maynot be included with the connector 212. By way of an example, theconnector 212 may include and implement various security features suchas, but not limited to, encrypted identification information tofacilitate recognition and utilization of the connector 212 and/orelectrode 200 by an electronic device, where the security features maybe implemented by a particular manufacturer and may adjust its levels offunctionality based, at least in part, on the electrical device theconnector 212 and/or the electrode 200 as being paired with and/orcommunicatively coupled to.

A non-limiting example of utilization of the electrode 200 may now bedescribed. Referring back to FIG. 1, the first communicative apparatus104 and the second communicative apparatus 106 may comprise of theelectrode 200 described in FIGS. 2a and 2b . For this non-limitingexample, references may be made to the electrode 200 to describe thevarious functionalities of the first communicative apparatus 104 and thesecond communicative apparatus 106. Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, auser (not shown) may have seen a person 112 experiencing some form ofheart event such as, but not limited to, an arrhythmia event (e.g., VF).The user may have located and retrieved a defibrillator device 102(e.g., an AED type device) from its holding location (e.g., AED cabineton a column and/or wall not shown). The user would open thedefibrillator device package (not shown) and proceed to turn on thedefibrillator device 102.

Referring now to FIGS. 2a and 2b , in one example, once thedefibrillator device 102 is turned on, an electrical signal may bewirelessly broadcast from the defibrillator device 102. The electricalsignal from the defibrillator device may be in the form of anelectromagnetic (EM) signal. The electrode 200 may receive the EM signaland respond to the EM signal. For example, the EM signal may be receivedby the thin film circuit 202 via the transmit and/or receive module 220,and the received EM signal may be utilized by the power supply 226 tosupply power to the processor 224. The processor 224 may readinstructions from the storage medium 222. In one example, theinstructions from the storage medium 222 may include instructions that,when executed by the processor 224, causes the processor 224 todetermine the integrity of the gel 208 on the second surface 206. Theintegrity of the gel may be determined by data received from the gelintegrity sensor 210 by the processor 224. The gel integrity sensor 210may be capable of measuring the conductivity level of the gel 208. Theprocessor 224 may receive the conductivity information from the gelintegrity sensor 210. The processor 224 may determine if the receivedconductivity level is within a predetermined range (e.g., impedancelevels) as may be stored in the storage medium 222.

In one example, if the processor 224 determines that the impedance levelof the gel 208 is outside a predetermined level and/or the impedance todetermine if the electrodes are properly operational and/or properlycommunicatively coupled to the defibrillator device and to the person112, the processor 224 may cause an interruption of substantially mostof the electrical signals between the electrode 200 and thedefibrillator device 102 via the electrical signal interrupt module 216(e.g., voltage for the shock 116, while allowing electrical signalsrelated to the heart 114 to continue being transmitted to thedefibrillator device 102). In another example, the processor 224 maystore the determined conductivity level of the gel in the storage medium222 along with information such as, but not limited to, humidity and/ortemperature information of the gel 208. Additionally, the processor 224may execute instructions that cause the electrode 200 to transmit via awireless signal to the defibrillator device 102 various informationstored in the storage medium 222 such as, but not limited to, theconductivity level of the gel 208, serial number and/or identificationof the electrode 200, date of manufacture of the electrode 200, anexpiration date of the electrode 200, an defibrillator devicecompatibility information (i.e., manufacturer compatibility with theelectrode 200), number of cycles the electrode 200 has been subjectedto, electrical capabilities of the electrode 200, maximum recommendednumber of uses for the electrode 200, identification of differentdevices to which the electrode 200 may have been previously connected,time the electrode 200 has been attached to a person, and so forth.Alternatively, the electrode 200 may transmit any and/or all of thementioned information via the connector 212 to the defibrillator device102. In turn, the defibrillator device 102 may cause an interruption ofsubstantially most of the electrical signals between the electrode 200and the defibrillator device 102 via the electrical signal interruptmodule 216 (e.g., voltage for the shock, while allowing electricalsignals related to the heart 114 to continue being transmitted to thedefibrillator device 102). If the defibrillator device 102 causes aninterruption of substantially most of the electrical signal, thedefibrillator device 102 may further instruct the user to connectalternate electrodes, which may be included with the defibrillatordevice 102.

Referring back to FIG. 1, a defibrillator device 102 may be shown.However, it should be appreciated that it is contemplated that thedefibrillator device 102 may be any type of defibrillator device aspreviously mentioned, such as, but not limited to, wearabledefibrillators, manual defibrillators, semi-automated defibrillators,and automated defibrillators. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter isnot limited in scope to the particular implementations described herein.Additionally, in FIG. 1, the first communicative apparatus 104 and thesecond communicative apparatus 106 may be shown as disposed on theperson 112 in positions on the body of the person 112, which may becommon to adults. However, it should be appreciated that the positionsof the first communicative apparatus 104 and the second communicativeapparatus 106 may vary such as, but not limited to, a firstcommunicative apparatus disposed on the front of the person 112 and asecond communicative apparatus disposed on the back of the person 112(e.g., in the case of a small child, where the positions shown in FIG. 1may be difficult to achieve). Additionally, as previously described, thefirst communicative apparatus 104 and the second communicative apparatus106 may be integrated as a single apparatus (e.g., a single pad having abutterfly type configuration with electrical contacts/electrodes oneither “wing” of the pad). Accordingly, the claimed subject matter isnot limited in scope to the particular implementations described herein.

In FIGS. 2a and 2b , it should be appreciated that in order to provide aclear understanding of the disclosed subject matter, the variouscomponents and/or implementations are shown as block diagrams. Forexample, the electrode 200 may have a wide variety of shapes and sizessuch as, but not limited to, substantially circular, substantiallyrectangular, etc., and accordingly, the claimed subject matter is notlimited in scope to the particular implementations described herein.Additionally, it should be appreciated that the thin film circuit 202may be implemented in a wide variety of manners. As previouslymentioned, in one example, the thin film circuit 202 may be configuredto be an RFID circuit. In this example, the thin film circuit 202 may beconfigured to be at least one of a passive RFID tag or an active RFIDtag. In the example of a passive RFID tag, the passive RFID tag may nothave an active power source, but instead, may generate energy from theEM signal emitted by a reader (e.g., defibrillator device 102) and maywirelessly communicate with the defibrillator device by changing theelectrical loading/impedance (e.g., backscatter a signal). The powersupply 226 may be in the form of a capacitor to facilitate charging bythe EM signal, and thereby providing power to the thin film circuit 202.In the example of an active RFID tag, the active RFID tag may have anactive power source and may wirelessly communicate with a reader (e.g.,defibrillator device 102) via an Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) wirelesssignal. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is not limited in scopeto the particular implementations described herein.

The storage medium 222 of electrode 200, either the pads or theconnector, or both may include a wide variety of memory type devicessuch as, but not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or othermemory technology, and accordingly, in this respect, the claimed subjectmatter is not limited in scope. The processor 224 may include a widevariety of processors such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor(μP), a microcontroller (μC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or anycombination thereof. Processor 224 may include one or more levels ofcaching, such as a level one cache and a level two cache, a processorcore, and registers. A memory controller may also be used with theprocessor 224, or in some implementations the memory controller may bean internal part of the processor 224, and accordingly, claimed subjectmatter is not limited in scope to the particular implementationsdescribed herein.

Additionally, in some example implementations, based, at least in part,on the desired functionality and/or implementations, the electrode 200may include some, while not others, of the various components. Forexample, the electrode 200 may include the storage medium 222 while notthe processor 224, while in other implementations, the electrode 200 mayinclude the storage medium 222 while not the processor 224 or thetransmit and/or receive module 220, or any combination/substitutionthereof. Accordingly, in at least this respect, the claimed subjectmatter is not limited in scope.

In FIG. 2b , as previously described, the gel integrity sensor 210 mayinclude sensors and/or combined digital humidity and temperaturesensors. Other sensors may also be utilized. The conductivity sensorsmay include a wide variety of conductivity sensors such as, but notlimited to, thin film conductivity sensors. The combined digitalhumidity and temperature sensors may include a wide variety of humidityand temperature sensors such as, but not limited to, thin film combineddigital humidity and temperature modules. Briefly referring back to FIG.1, in another example, a capacitance across the first communicativeapparatus 104 and the second communicative apparatus 106 may be detectedand/or measured. A defibrillation port, as will be described in detaillater, may facilitate the detection and/or measurement of thecapacitance across the first communicative apparatus 104 and the secondcommunicative apparatus 106. In this non-limiting example, if thedetected and/or measured capacitance is relatively low, the relativelylow capacitance may be an indication of the electrical system as a whole(e.g., the first signal line 108 between the first communicativeapparatus 104 and the defibrillator device 102, the second signal line110 between the second communicative apparatus 106 and the defibrillatordevice 102, so forth, and/or any combination thereof) having anelectrical issue such as, but not limited to a disconnect some place.However, if the detected and/or measured capacitance is relativelyintermediate, the relatively intermediate capacitance may be anindication of the first communicative apparatus 104 and the secondcommunicative apparatus 106 being properly electrically communicativelycoupled, but may be an indication of the integrity of the gel 208 beingnegatively affected (e.g., may be dry). If there is an indication of theintegrity of the gel 208 being negatively affected, the gel integritysensor 210 may be configured to be a thermistor type device to measurethe temperature of the gel 208. Further, if the detected and/or measuredcapacitance is relatively high (e.g., approximately at or above 80picofarad), the relatively high capacitance may be an indication of theelectrical system as a whole being in proper electrical condition.

Continuing with the non-limiting example of detecting and/or measuringcapacitance, in one example, the first communicative apparatus 104 andthe second communicative apparatus 106 may include a metallic foil typebacking to relatively increase the capacitance and/or may improve asignal to noise ratio of the electrical system as a whole. For thisexample, a relative difference between an electrical system havingpotential electrical issues with an electrical system not havingpotential electrical issues may be higher (e.g., approximately 250picofarad). As previously described, the gel integrity sensor 210 mayindicate a relatively low humidity, which in turn, may indicate lowmoisture content in the gel 208, thereby may be an indication of notoptimum gel quality. Accordingly, in at least this respect, the claimedsubject matter is not limited in scope.

FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate block diagrams of an electrode havingcommunicative capabilities, in accordance with various embodiments.Shown in FIG. 3 a is an electrode 300, which may be configured to beused with a defibrillator device 102 (e.g., an AED). The electrode 300may have a watermark 302 integrated with the electrode 300 on a firstsurface 304 of the electrode 300.

In FIG. 3b , a second surface 306 of the electrode 300 may be shown. Thesecond surface 306 may be substantially opposite the first surface 302(shown in FIG. 3a ), and a gel 308 may be disposed on the second surface306. In both FIGS. 3a and 3b , a connector 312 may be shown electricallycoupled to the electrode 300 and configured to electrically connect theelectrode 300 to the defibrillator device 102. Additionally, in bothFIGS. 3a and 3b , an electrical signal interrupt module 314 may becommunicatively coupled to the connector 312 and the defibrillatordevice 102. As will be described in detail, the electrical interruptmodule may be configured to interrupt an electrical signal from thedefibrillator device 102 based, at least in part, on an interrupt signalfrom the defibrillator device 102.

In one example, the watermark 302 may comprise of an opticalmachine-readable watermark. In another example, the watermark 302 maycomprise of an automatic identification and data capture (AIDC)watermark. In another example, the watermark 302 may comprise auniversal product code (UPC). In another example, the watermark 302 maycomprise a matrix type code. In another example, the watermark 302 maycomprise a quick response (QR) code. In yet another example, thewatermark 302 may comprise of a watermark capable of visually changingover time.

In the example of the watermark 302 capable of visually changing overtime, the watermark 302 may comprise of a watermark having migratingink. In yet another example of the watermark 302 capable of visuallychanging over time, the watermark 302 may comprise of visually changingpaper.

In one example, the connector 312 may comprise of a quick releaseconnector having a pull-tab device type. In yet another example, thequick release connector may comprise of a looped flange.

In one example, the electrical signal interrupt module 314 may comprisea residual-current device (RCD). An example of an RCD may comprise anautomatic disconnection of supply (ADS) type device.

A non-limiting example of utilization of the electrode 300 may now bedescribed. Briefly referring back to FIG. 1, the scenario may be similarto the one shown in FIG. 1. However, when the user turns on thedefibrillator device 102, an audio and/or visual instruction mayinstruct the user to hold the electrode 300 in proximity to an imagecapture module included in the defibrillator device 102. Thedefibrillator device 102 may instruct the user that the defibrillatordevice 102 may capture an image of the watermark 302 on the firstsurface 304. In this example, the defibrillator device 102 may read thewatermark 302 and determine a wide variety of information from thewatermark such as, but not limited to the serial number and/oridentification of the electrode 300, date of manufacture of theelectrode 300, an expiration date of the electrode 300, an defibrillatordevice compatibility information (i.e., defibrillator devicemanufacturer compatibility with the electrode 300), electricalcapabilities of the electrode 300, maximum recommended number of usesfor the electrode 300, and so forth as previously described.Alternatively, the defibrillator device 102 may instruct the user to usea mobile device (not shown) to read the watermark 302 on the electrode300. The mobile device may be a smart phone type device, which may becapable of reading the watermark 302 and retrieving various information(e.g., any information previously described or any combination thereof).For example, the smart phone may retrieve the information regarding theelectrode 300 and/or the defibrillator device 102 via the Internet.

Referring back to the example of the defibrillator device 102 having thecapabilities to read the watermark 302, if it is determined that theeffectiveness of the electrode 300 may be questionable based, at leastin part, on the information read from the watermark 302, thedefibrillator device 102 may cause the electrical signal interruptmodule 314 to interrupt substantially most of the electrical signalsbetween the electrode 300 and the defibrillator device 102 via theconnector 312 (e.g., voltage for the shock, while allowing electricalsignals related to the heart 114 to continue being transmitted to thedefibrillator device 102). If the defibrillator device 102 causes aninterruption of substantially most of the electrical signal, thedefibrillator device 102 may further instruct the user to connectalternate electrodes.

In the example of the watermark 302 configured to visually change overtime, the watermark 302 may visually indicate that the electrode 300 hasexpired (e.g., the gel 308 and/or its adhesive properties may be outsidea manufacturer limits). It should be reminded here that an electrodecommonly has an expiration date as previously described.

FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate block diagrams of an electrode havingcommunicative capabilities, in accordance with various embodiments.Shown in FIG. 4a , is an electrode 400, which may be configured to beused with a defibrillator device 102 (e.g., an AED). The electrode 400may have a printed circuit 402 disposed on a first surface 404 of theelectrode 400. The electrode 400 may additionally include a displaydevice 406 disposed on the first surface 402. The display device 406 maybe communicatively coupled to the printed circuit 402. The printedcircuit 402 may include various functional blocks such as, but notlimited to, a processor 408, a display controller 410, and a storagemedium 412.

In FIG. 4b , a second surface 414 of the electrode 400 may be shown. Thesecond surface 414 may be substantially opposite the first surface 404(shown in FIG. 4a ), and a gel 416 may be disposed on the second surface414. Additionally, a gel integrity sensor 418 may be disposed inphysical contact with the gel 416. The gel integrity sensor 418 may becommunicatively coupled to the printed circuit 402. In both FIGS. 4a and4b , a connector 420 may be shown electrically coupled to the electrode400 and configured to electrically connect the electrode 400 to thedefibrillator device 102. Shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b , an electricalsignal interrupt module 422 may be communicatively coupled to theconnector 420. The connector 420 may be configured to interruptsubstantially most electrical signals between the electrode 400 and thedefibrillator device 102 upon receiving an interrupt signal from theprinted circuit 402 and/or from the defibrillator device 102. Theelectrode 400 shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b may facilitate variouscommunicative capabilities for the electrode for use with thedefibrillator device 102, in accordance with various embodiments of thedisclosure.

In one example, the display device 406 may comprise of a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD) type device. In another example, the gel 416 may compriseof at least one of a conductive gel or an adhesive gel for use with theelectrode 400.

A non-limiting example of utilization of the electrode 400 may now bedescribed. Referring back to FIG. 1, the first communicative apparatus104 and the second communicative apparatus 106 may comprise of theelectrode 400 described in FIGS. 4a and 4b . For this non-limitingexample, references may be made to electrode 400 to describe the variousfunctionalities of the first communicative apparatus 104 and the secondcommunicative apparatus 106 (shown in FIG. 1). Continuing to refer toFIG. 1, a user (not shown) may have seen a person 112 experiencing someform of heart event such as, but not limited to, an arrhythmia event(e.g., VF). The user may have located and retrieved a defibrillatordevice 102 (e.g., an AED) from its holding location (e.g., an AEDcabinet on a column and/or wall not shown). The user would open thedefibrillator device package (not shown) and proceed to turn on thedefibrillator device 102.

Referring now to FIGS. 4a and 4b , in one example, once thedefibrillator device 102 is turned on, an audio instruction may instructthe user to connect the electrode 400 to the defibrillator device 102via the connector 420. Once connected, printed circuit 402 and thedisplay device 406 may receive power from the defibrillator device 102via the connector 420. The processor 408 may read instructions stored inthe storage medium 412 where, when executed, the display device 406 maydisplay various information regarding the electrode 400. That is, theprocessor may execute instructions to manage the display device 400 viathe display controller 410. In one example, the instructions from thestorage medium 412 may include instructions that, when executed by theprocessor 408, causes the processor 408 to determine an integrity of thegel 416 on the second surface 414. The integrity of the gel 416 may bedetermined by data received from the gel integrity sensor 418 by theprocessor 408. The gel integrity sensor 418 may be capable of measuringthe conductivity level of the gel 418. The processor 408 may receive theconductivity information from the gel integrity sensor 418. Theprocessor 408 may determine if the received conductivity level is withinpredetermined level (e.g., impedance level) as may be stored in thestorage medium 412.

In one example, if the processor 408 determines that the conductivitylevel of the gel 418 is outside a predetermined level, the processor 408may cause the display device 406 to display a message that indicates tothe user that the electrode may not be effective and that alternateelectrodes should be used. In another example, the processor 408 maydetermine that the electrode 400 may not have been connected properly(e.g., the electrical signal between the electrode 400 and thedefibrillator device 102 may not be clear). In this example situation,the processor 408 may cause the display device 406 to display a messagethat may indicate to that affect. That is, the processor 406 may causethe display device 406 to display any type of visual information to theuser such as, but not limited to, conductivity level of the gel 416,serial number and/or identification of the electrode 400, date ofmanufacture of the electrode 400, an expiration date of the electrode400, an defibrillator device compatibility information (i.e., adefibrillator device manufacturer compatibility with the electrode 400),number of cycles the electrode 400 has been subjected to, electricalcapabilities of the electrode 400, maximum recommended number of usesfor the electrode 400, identification of different devices to which theelectrode 400 may have been previously connect, time the electrode 400has been attached to a person, the person's electrical activity of theheart 114 over a period of time as detected by the defibrillator device102 from the electrode 400 or electrocardiogram (i.e., ECG or EKG), andso forth. Some, all, or any combination of displayed information may bestored in the storage medium 412 and may be subsequently displayed atany time. For example, the ECG may be stored in the storage medium 412and subsequently displayed at a medical facility for a medicalpersonnel.

In one example, if the processor 408 determines that the conductivitylevel of the gel 418 is outside a predetermined level, the processor 408may cause an interruption of substantially most of the electricalsignals between the electrode 400 and the defibrillator device 102 viathe connector 212 (e.g., voltage for the shock, while allowingelectrical signals related to the heart 114 to continue beingtransmitted to the defibrillator device 102) by transmitting anelectrical signal to the electrical signal interrupt module 422. Inanother example, the processor 408 may determine that the electrode 400may not have been connected properly (e.g., the electrical signalbetween the electrode 400 and the defibrillator device 102 may not beclear). Here again, the processor 408 may cause an interruption ofsubstantially most of the electrical signals between the electrode 400and the defibrillator device 102 by transmitting an electrical signal tothe electrical signal interrupt module 422. As in some previousexamples, the processor 408 may store a wide variety of information instorage medium 412 such as, but not limited to, the determinedconductivity level of the gel 416.

It should be appreciated that even though in FIGS. 2a-3b , theconnectors 212, 312, and 420 may be shown as communicatively coupled tothe electrodes 200, 300, and 400, the connectors 212, 312, and 420 maybe a pluggable type communicative coupling. For example,

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating components of defibrillatordevice 500, which may be used with various embodiments. These componentsmay be, for example, a defibrillator device 102 (shown in FIG. 1).Additionally, the components of FIG. 5. 3 may be provided in a housing501, which may be known as casing 501.

The defibrillator device 500 may be intended for use by a user 580(e.g., a rescuer). The defibrillator device 500 may typically include adefibrillation port 510, such as a socket in housing 501. Thedefibrillation port 510 may include nodes 514 and 518. One or moreelectrodes 504 and 508, which may be similar to electrodes 104, 106,200, 300, and 400, may be plugged in to the defibrillation port 510, soas to make electrical contact with nodes 514 and 518, respectively. Itmay also be possible that the electrodes 504 and 508 may be connectedcontinuously to the defibrillation port 510, etc. Either way, thedefibrillation port 510 may be used for guiding via the electrodes 504and 508 to the person 112 an electrical charge that may have been storedin the defibrillator device 500, as described herein. As previouslydescribed, some, any, all, or any combination thereof of thecomponents/modules illustrated in FIGS. 2a-3b may be includedsubstantially at or substantially near the defibrillator port 510 (e.g.,at or near nodes 514 and/or 518). In other words, the described examplesof FIGS. 2a-3b may be implemented on a connector at a substantiallyopposite end of an electrode.

If the defibrillator device 500 comprise of a defibrillator-monitor, aswas described with reference to FIGS. 4a and 4b , the defibrillatordevice 500 may also have an ECG port 519 in the housing 501, forreceiving ECG leads 509. The ECG leads 509 may facilitate sensing of anECG signal (e.g., a 12-lead signal or from a different number of leadsignals). Moreover, a defibrillator-monitor could have additional ports(not shown), and the other component 525 may be configured to filter theECG signal (e.g., application of at least one filter to the signal tohelp facilitate removal of artifacts such as, but not limited to, chestcompression due to chest compressions being delivered to the person112).

The defibrillator 500 also may include a measurement circuit 520. Themeasurement circuit 520 may receive physiological signals from the ECGport 519, and also from other ports, if provided. The circuit 520 mayrender detected physiological signals and their correspondinginformation. The information may be in the form of data, or othersignals, etc.

If the defibrillator 500 is configured as an AED type device, ECG port519 may not be present. The measurement circuit 520 may obtainphysiological signals through the nodes 514 and 518 instead, when theelectrodes 504 and 508 are attached to the person 112, as previouslydescribed. In these cases, a person's ECG signal may be detected as avoltage difference between the electrodes 504 and 508. Additionally, theimpedance between the electrodes 504 and 508 may detect, among otherthings, whether the electrodes 504 and 508 have been inadvertentlydisconnected from the person 112.

The defibrillator 500 may also include a processor 530. The processor530 may be implemented in a wide variety of manners for causing actionsand operations to be performed. Some examples may include digital and/oranalog processors such as microprocessors and digital-signal processors(DSPs), controllers such as microcontrollers, software running in amachine environment, programmable circuits such as Field ProgrammableGate Arrays (FPGAs), Field-Programmable Analog Arrays (FPAAs),Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Application Specific IntegratedCircuits (ASICs), and so on or any combination thereof.

The processor 530 may include a number of modules. One example modulemay be a detection module 532, which may detect outputs from themeasurement circuit 520. The detection module 532 may include a VFdetector. Accordingly, the person's detected ECG may be utilized to helpdetermine whether the person is experiencing VF.

In another example, advice module 534 may provide advice based, at leastin part, on outputs of detection module 532. The advice module 534 mayinclude an algorithm such as, but not limited to, Shock AdvisoryAlgorithm, implement decision rules, and so on. For example, the advicemay be to shock, to not shock, to administer other forms of therapy, andso on. If the advice is to shock, some defibrillator examples may reportthe advice to the user and prompt them to do it. In other examples, thedefibrillator device may execute the advice by administering the shock.If the advice is to administer CPR, the defibrillator 500 may furtherissue prompts for administrating CPR, and so forth.

The processor 530 may include additional modules, such as module 536 forvarious other functions. Additionally, if other component 525 isprovided, it may be operated in part by processor 530, etc.

In an example, the defibrillator device 500 may include a memory 538,which may work together with the processor 530. The memory 538 may beimplemented in a wide variety of manners. For example, the memory 538may be implemented such as, but not limited to, nonvolatile memories(NVM), read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), and soforth or any combination thereof. The memory 538 may include programsfor the processor 530, and so on. The programs may include operationalprograms executed by the processor 530 and may also include protocolsand methodologies so that decisions may be made by advice module 534.Additionally, the memory 538 may store various prompts for the user 580,etc. Moreover, the memory 538 may store a wide variety of information(i.e., data) such as, but not limited to information regarding theperson 112.

The defibrillator 500 may also include a power source 540. In order tofacilitate portability of defibrillator device 500, the power source 540may include a battery type device. A battery type device may beimplemented as a battery pack, which may be rechargeable ornot-rechargeable. At times, a combination of rechargeable andnon-rechargeable battery packs may be utilized. Examples of power source540 may include AC power override, where AC power may be available, andso on. In some examples, the processor 530 may control the power source540.

Additionally, the defibrillator device 500 may include an energy storagemodule 550. The energy storage module 550 may be configured to storesome electrical energy (e.g., when preparing for sudden discharge toadminister a shock). The energy storage module 550 may be charged fromthe power source 540 to an appropriate level of energy, as may becontrolled by the processor 530. In some implementations, the energystorage module 550 may include one or more capacitors 552, and the like.

The defibrillator 500 may include a discharge circuit 555. The dischargecircuit 555 may be controlled to facilitate discharging of the energystored in energy storage module 550 to the nodes 514 and 518, and alsoto electrodes 304 and 308. The discharge circuit 555 may include one ormore switches 557. The one or more switches 557 may be configured in anumber of manners such as, but not limited to, an H-bridge, and soforth.

The defibrillator device 500 may further include a user interface 570for the user 580. The user interface 570 may be implemented in a varietyof manners. For example, the user interface 570 may include a displayscreen capable of displaying what is detected and measured, providevisual feedback to the user 580 for their resuscitation attempts, and soforth. The user interface 570 may also include an audio output such as,but not limited to, a speaker to issue audio prompts, etc. The userinterface 570 may additionally include various control devices such as,but not limited to, pushbuttons, keyboards, switches, track pads, and soforth. Additionally, the discharge circuit 555 may be controlled by theprocessor 530 or directly by the user 580 via the user interface 570,and so forth.

Additionally, the defibrillator device 500 may include other components.For example, a communication module 590 may be provided forcommunicating with other machines and/or the electrodes 404 and 408, aspreviously described. Such communication may be performed wirelessly, orvia wire, or by infrared communication, near field communication (NFC),Bluetooth, WiFi, and so forth. Accordingly, information may becommunicated, such as person data, incident information, therapyattempted, CPR performance, ECG information, and so forth.

A feature of a defibrillator device may be CPR related prompting. CPRprompts may be issued to the user 580 visually or by audio facilitatingassistance in the administration of CPR by the user 580. Examples may befound in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,334,070 and 6,356,785.

FIG. 6 illustrates an operational flow for a defibrillator electrodehaving various communicative capabilities, arranged in accordance withat least some embodiments described herein. In some portions of thedescription, illustrative implementations of the method are describedwith reference to the elements of electrodes depicted in FIGS. 1, 2 a, 2b, 4 a, and 4 b. However, the described embodiments are not limited tothese depictions. More specifically, some elements depicted in FIGS. 2a,2b, 4a, and 4c may be omitted from some implementations of the methodsdetails herein. Furthermore, other elements not depicted in FIGS. 1, 2a, 2 b, 4 a, and 4 b may be used to implement example methods detailedherein.

Additionally, FIG. 6 employs block diagrams to illustrate the examplemethods detailed therein. These block diagrams may set out variousfunctional block or actions that may be described as processing steps,functional operations, events and/or acts, etc., and may be performed byhardware, software, and/or firmware. Numerous alternatives to thefunctional blocks detailed may be practiced in various implementations.For example, intervening actions not shown in the figures and/oradditional actions not shown in the figures may be employed and/or someof the actions shown in one figure may be operated using techniquesdiscussed with respect to another figure. Additionally, in someexamples, the actions shown in these figures may be operated usingparallel processing techniques. The above described, and other notdescribed, rearrangements, substitutions, changes, modifications, etc.,may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

In some examples, operational flow 600 may be employed as part of adefibrillator electrode having various communicative capabilities.Beginning at block 602 (“Detect Electrical Signal”), the electrode 200(shown in FIGS. 1, 2 a, and 2 b) may detect a wireless signal. Asdescribed, the electrode 200 may include the thin film circuit 202,where the thin film circuit 202 may be configured to be an RFID circuit.

Continuing from block 602 to 604 (“Determine Integrity of Gel”), theelectrode 200 may determine the integrity level of the gel 208 via thegel integrity sensor 210. Integrity of the gel 208 may include a widevariety of information regarding the gel 208 such as, but not limitedto, conductance, impedance, capacitance, humidity, temperature cycles,proper storage, expiration, and so forth, as previously described.

Continuing from block 604 to decision diamond 606 (“Gel ConductivityLevel Outside Predetermined Level?”), the electrode may compare thedetermined integrity level of the gel 208 (e.g., conductivity level ofthe gel) with a predetermined range. As mentioned, conductivity may bebut one example of information regarding the gel 208. Accordingly, in atleast this respect, the claimed subject matter is not limited in scope.

In one example, if it is determined that the conductivity level of thegel is outside the predetermined range, the electrode 200 may cause aninterruption of substantially most of the electrical signals between theelectrode 200 and the defibrillator device 102 via the electricalinterrupt signal module 216, at block 608 (“Interrupt Substantially MostElectrical Signal”). However, if it is determined that conductivitylevel of the gel is within the predetermined range, the electrode 200may receive substantially all of the electrical signals from thedefibrillator device 102 including an electrical shock 116 (shown inFIG. 1) if appropriate, at block 610 (“Receive All Electrical Signals”).

In general, the operational flow described with respect to FIG. 6 andelsewhere herein may be implemented as a computer program product,executable on any suitable computing system, or the like. For example, acomputer program product for facilitating a defibrillator electrodehaving communicative capabilities may be provided. Example computerprogram products may be described with respect to FIG. 7 and elsewhereherein.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computer program product 700, arranged inaccordance with at least some embodiments described herein. Computerprogram product 700 may include machine readable non-transitory mediumhaving stored therein instructions that, when executed, cause themachine to utilize a defibrillator electrode having communicativecapabilities, according to the processes and methods discussed herein.Computer program product 700 may include a signal bearing medium 702.Signal bearing medium 702 may include one or more machine-readableinstructions 704 which, when executed by one or more processors, mayoperatively enable a computing device to provide the functionalitydescribed herein. In various examples, the devices discussed herein mayuse some or all of the machine-readable instructions.

In some examples, the machine readable instructions 704 may includedetecting an electrical signal. In some examples, the machine readableinstructions 704 may include determining an integrity level of a gel. Insome examples, the machine readable instructions 704 may includedetermining if the conductivity level of the gel within a predeterminedrange. Here again, it should be appreciated that conductivity of the gel208 may include a wide variety of information regarding the gel 208 suchas, but not limited to, conductance, impedance, capacitance, humidity,temperature cycles, proper storage, expiration, and so forth, aspreviously described, and accordingly, in at least this respect, theclaimed subject matter is not limited in scope. In some examples, themachine readable instructions 704 may include interrupting substantiallymost of the electrical signals between the electrode and thedefibrillator device.

In some implementations, signal bearing medium 702 may encompass acomputer-readable medium 706, such as, but not limited to, a hard diskdrive, a Compact Disc (CD), a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), a UniversalSerial Bus (USB) drive, a digital tape, memory, etc. In someimplementations, the signal bearing medium 702 may encompass arecordable medium 708, such as, but not limited to, memory, read/write(R/W) CDs, R/W DVDs, etc. In some implementations, the signal bearingmedium 702 may encompass a communications medium 710, such as, but notlimited to, a digital and/or an analog communication medium (e.g., afiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wired communication link, a wirelesscommunication link, etc.). In some examples, the signal bearing medium702 may encompass a machine readable non-transitory medium.

In general, the methods described with respect to FIG. 6 and elsewhereherein may be implemented in any suitable computing system. Examplesystems may be described with respect to FIG. 8 and elsewhere herein. Ingeneral, the system may be configured to facilitate utilization of adefibrillator electrode having communicative capabilities.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device 800,such as might be embodied by a person skilled in the art, which isarranged in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In one example configuration 801, computing device 800 mayinclude one or more processors 810 and system memory 820. A memory bus830 may be used for communicating between the processor 810 and thesystem memory 820.

Depending on the desired configuration, processor 810 may be of any typeincluding but not limited to a microprocessor (μP), a microcontroller(μC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or any combination thereof.Processor 810 may include one or more levels of caching, such as a levelone cache 811 and a level two cache 812, a processor core 813, andregisters 814. The processor core 813 may include an arithmetic logicunit (ALU), a floating point unit (FPU), a digital signal processingcore (DSP Core), or any combination thereof. A memory controller 815 mayalso be used with the processor 810, or in some implementations thememory controller 815 may be an internal part of the processor 810.

Depending on the desired configuration, the system memory 820 may be ofany type including but not limited to volatile memory (such as RAM),non-volatile memory (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or any combinationthereof. System memory 820 may include an operating system 821, one ormore applications 822, and program data 824. Application 822 may includeelectrode analysis algorithm 823 that is arranged to perform thefunctions as described herein including the functional blocks and/oractions described. Program Data 824 may include, among a wide variety ofinformation described, gel integrity information 825 for use withelectrode analysis algorithm 823. In some example embodiments,application 822 may be arranged to operate with program data 824 on anoperating system 821 such that implementations of defibrillatorelectrodes having communicative capabilities may be provided asdescribed herein. For example, apparatus described in the presentdisclosure may comprise all or a portion of computing device 800 and becapable of performing all or a portion of application 822 such thatimplementations of defibrillator electrodes having communicativecapabilities may be provided as described herein. This described basicconfiguration is illustrated in FIG. 8 by those components within dashedline 801.

Computing device 800 may have additional features or functionality, andadditional interfaces to facilitate communications between the basicconfiguration 801 and any required devices and interfaces. For example,a bus/interface controller 840 may be used to facilitate communicationsbetween the basic configuration 801 and one or more data storage devices850 via a storage interface bus 841. The data storage devices 850 may beremovable storage devices 851, non-removable storage devices 852, or acombination thereof. Examples of removable storage and non-removablestorage devices include magnetic disk devices such as flexible diskdrives and hard-disk drives (HDD), optical disk drives such as compactdisk (CD) drives or digital versatile disk (DVD) drives, solid statedrives (SSD), and tape drives to name a few. Example computer storagemedia may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removablemedia implemented in any method or technology for storage ofinformation, such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data.

System memory 820, removable storage 851 and non-removable storage 852are all examples of computer storage media. Computer storage mediaincludes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or othermemory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which maybe used to store the desired information and which may be accessed bycomputing device 900. Any such computer storage media may be part ofdevice 900.

Computing device 800 may also include an interface bus 842 forfacilitating communication from various interface devices (e.g., outputinterfaces, peripheral interfaces, and communication interfaces) to thebasic configuration 801 via the bus/interface controller 840. Exampleoutput interfaces 860 may include a graphics processing unit 861 and anaudio processing unit 862, which may be configured to communicate tovarious external devices such as a display or speakers via one or moreA/V ports 863. Example peripheral interfaces 860 may include a serialinterface controller 871 or a parallel interface controller 872, whichmay be configured to communicate with external devices such as inputdevices (e.g., keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch inputdevice, etc.) or other peripheral devices (e.g., printer, scanner, etc.)via one or more I/O ports 873. An example communication interface 880includes a network controller 881, which may be arranged to facilitatecommunications with one or more other computing devices 890 over anetwork communication via one or more communication ports 882. Acommunication connection is one example of a communication media.Communication media may typically be embodied by computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in amodulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism, and may include any information delivery media. A “modulateddata signal” may be a signal that has one or more of its characteristicsset or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal.By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may includewired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, andwireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR) andother wireless media. The term computer readable media as used hereinmay include both storage media and communication media.

Computing device 800 may be implemented as a portion of a small-formfactor portable (or mobile) electronic device such as a cell phone, apersonal data assistant (PDA), a tablet type device, a personal mediaplayer device, a wireless web-watch device, a personal headset device,an application specific device, or a hybrid device that includes any ofthe above functions. Computing device 800 may also be implemented as apersonal computer including both laptop computer and non-laptop computerconfigurations. In addition, computing device 800 may be implemented aspart of a wireless base station or other wireless system or device.

Some portions of the foregoing detailed description are presented interms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on databits or binary digital signals stored within a computing system memory,such as a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions orrepresentations are examples of techniques used by those of ordinaryskill in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,considered to be a self-consistent sequence of operations or similarprocessing leading to a desired result. In this context, operations orprocessing involve physical manipulation of physical quantities.Typically, although not necessarily, such quantities may take the formof electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred,combined, compared or otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient attimes, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signalsas bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers,numerals or the like. It should be understood, however, that all ofthese and similar terms are to be associated with appropriate physicalquantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless specifically statedotherwise, as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciatedthat throughout this specification discussion utilizing terms such as“processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining” or the likerefer to actions or processes of a computing device that manipulates ortransforms data represented as physical electronic or magneticquantities within memories, registers, or other information storagedevices, transmission devices, or display devices of the computingdevice.

Claimed subject matter is not limited in scope to the particularimplementations described herein. For example, some implementations maybe in hardware, such as those employed to operate on a device orcombination of devices, for example, whereas other implementations maybe in software and/or firmware. Likewise, although claimed subjectmatter is not limited in scope in this respect, some implementations mayinclude one or more articles, such as a signal bearing medium, a storagemedium and/or storage media. This storage media, such as CD-ROMs,computer disks, flash memory, or the like, for example, may haveinstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing devicesuch as a computing system, computing platform, or other system, forexample, may result in execution of a processor in accordance withclaimed subject matter, such as one of the implementations previouslydescribed, for example. As one possibility, a computing device mayinclude one or more processing units or processors, one or moreinput/output devices, such as a display, a keyboard and/or a mouse, andone or more memories, such as static random access memory, dynamicrandom access memory, flash memory, and/or a hard drive.

There is little distinction left between hardware and softwareimplementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware or softwareis generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choicebetween hardware and software can become significant) a design choicerepresenting cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs. There are various vehiclesby which processes and/or systems and/or other technologies describedherein can be affected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), andthat the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which theprocesses and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed. Forexample, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy areparamount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmwarevehicle; if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for amainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, theimplementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/orfirmware.

The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments ofthe devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts,and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/orexamples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will beunderstood by those within the art that each function and/or operationwithin such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented,individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software,firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment,several portions of the subject matter described herein may beimplemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), orother integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art willrecognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, inwhole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integratedcircuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or morecomputers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computersystems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors(e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors),as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designingthe circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and/or firmwarewould be well within the skill of one of skilled in the art in light ofthis disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capableof being distributed as a product in a variety of forms, and that anillustrative embodiment of the subject matter described herein appliesregardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used toactually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearing mediuminclude, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable type mediumsuch as a flexible disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), a Compact Disc (CD), aDigital Versatile Disk (DVD), a digital tape, a computer memory, etc.;and a transmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analogcommunication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wiredcommunications link, a wireless communication link, etc.).

Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the artto describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein,and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such describeddevices and/or processes into data processing systems. That is, at leasta portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can beintegrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount ofexperimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that atypical data processing system generally includes one or more of asystem unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatileand non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digitalsignal processors, computational entities such as operating systems,drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one ormore interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and/or controlsystems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback forsensing position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/oradjusting components and/or quantities). A typical data processingsystem may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially availablecomponents, such as those typically found in datacomputing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems.

The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates differentcomponents contained within, or connected with, different othercomponents. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures aremerely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can beimplemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense,any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality iseffectively “associated” such that the desired functionality isachieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve aparticular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each othersuch that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective ofarchitectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components soassociated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or“operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality,and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewedas being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desiredfunctionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but arenot limited to physically mateable and/or physically interactingcomponents and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interactingcomponents and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactablecomponents.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singularterms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from theplural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, termsused herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of theappended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use ofdefinite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, evenif a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitlyrecited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitationshould typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number(e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without othermodifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or morerecitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a conventionanalogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in generalsuch a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the artwould understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one ofA, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have Aalone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where aconvention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, ingeneral such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill inthe art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at leastone of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that haveA alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be furtherunderstood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive wordand/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in thedescription, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplatethe possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, orboth terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood toinclude the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

Reference in the specification to “an implementation,” “oneimplementation,” “some implementations,” or “other implementations” maymean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin connection with one or more implementations may be included in atleast some implementations, but not necessarily in all implementations.The various appearances of “an implementation,” “one implementation,” or“some implementations” in the preceding description are not necessarilyall referring to the same implementations.

While certain exemplary techniques have been described and shown hereinusing various methods and systems, it should be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various other modifications may be made, andequivalents may be substituted, without departing from claimed subjectmatter. Additionally, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation to the teachings of claimed subject matter withoutdeparting from the central concept described herein. Therefore, it isintended that claimed subject matter not be limited to the particularexamples disclosed, but that such claimed subject matter also mayinclude all implementations falling within the scope of the appendedclaims, and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed:
 1. A therapy electrode, comprising: a pad having afirst surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; a circuitdisposed on the first surface of the pad; gel disposed on the secondsurface of the pad; and a gel integrity sensor coupled to the circuitand disposed on the second surface of the pad, the gel integrity sensorconfigured to: sense a characteristic associated with an integrity ofthe gel, and send, to the circuit, information indicative of the sensedcharacteristic associated with the integrity of the gel, and the circuitconfigured to determine, based at least in part on the information, anintegrity level of the gel.
 2. The therapy electrode of claim 1, whereinthe circuit comprises a processor configured to execute instructionsthat cause the processor to determine the integrity level of the gelbased at least in part on the information.
 3. The therapy electrode ofclaim 1, wherein the circuit comprises a Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) tag.
 4. The therapy electrode of claim 3, wherein the RFID tagcomprises a passive tag.
 5. The therapy electrode of claim 1, whereinthe circuit comprises a communication module configured to receive data.6. The therapy electrode of claim 1, wherein the gel comprises aconductive gel.
 7. The therapy electrode of claim 1, wherein the gelintegrity sensor comprises a conductivity sensor configured to sense aconductivity level of the gel and wherein the information is indicativeof the sensed conductivity level of the gel.
 8. The therapy electrode ofclaim 1, wherein the gel integrity sensor comprises a humidity andtemperature sensor configured to sense a moisture content andtemperature of the gel and wherein the information is indicative of thesensed moisture content and temperature of the gel.
 9. The therapyelectrode of claim 5, wherein the communication module is furtherconfigured to receive an instruction to cause the circuit to evaluatethe information indicative of the sensed characteristic associated withthe integrity of the gel.
 10. The therapy electrode of claim 1, whereinthe circuit is further configured to evaluate the information anddetermine if a value associated with the integrity level of the gel iswithin a predetermined range.
 11. The therapy electrode of claim 1,wherein the therapy electrode is further configured to be coupled to amedical device, and wherein the circuit is further configured to cause,based at least in part on the integrity level of the gel, aninterruption of first electrical signals to prevent an electrical shockfrom being delivered via the therapy electrode while allowing secondelectrical signals to be transmitted from the therapy electrode to themedical device.
 12. The therapy electrode of claim 11, wherein thecircuit is further configured to output a user instruction based atleast in part on the interruption of the first electrical signals. 13.The therapy electrode of claim 1, further comprising a memory coupled tothe circuit, the memory configured to store the information indicativeof the sensed characteristic associated with the integrity of the gel.14. The therapy electrode of claim 1, wherein the sensed characteristicassociated with the integrity of the gel is one of a conductance of thegel, an impedance of the gel, a capacitance of the gel, a moisturecontent of the gel, a temperature cycle of the gel, and an expirationdate of the gel.
 15. The therapy electrode of claim 1, wherein the gelintegrity sensor comprises: a conductivity sensor configured to sense aconductivity of the gel and to send the information indicative of thesensed conductivity.
 16. The therapy electrode of claim 1, wherein thegel integrity sensor comprises a humidity and temperature sensorconfigured to: sense a moisture content and temperature of the gel, andsend the information indicative of the sensed moisture content andtemperature to which the therapy electrode has been subjected prior to acoupling of the therapy electrode to a medical device.
 17. The therapyelectrode of claim 3, wherein the RFID tag comprises an active tag. 18.The therapy electrode of claim 3, wherein the RFID tag comprises abattery-assisted passive tag.
 19. The therapy electrode of claim 1,wherein the circuit comprises a communication module configured totransmit data.
 20. The therapy electrode of claim 1, wherein the gelcomprises an adhesive gel.
 21. The therapy electrode of claim 5, whereinthe communication module is further configured to receive an instructionto cause the circuit to determine if a value associated with theintegrity level of the gel is within a predetermined range.
 22. Thetherapy electrode of claim 1, further comprising a memory coupled to thegel integrity sensor, the memory configured to store the informationindicative of the sensed characteristic associated with the integrity ofthe gel.
 23. The therapy electrode of claim 1, wherein the gel integritysensor comprises a humidity and temperature sensor configured to sense amoisture content and a temperature of the gel and to send theinformation indicative of the sensed moisture content and temperature.24. A therapy electrode, comprising: a pad having a first surface and asecond surface opposite the first surface; a circuit disposed on thefirst surface of the pad, the circuit having a processor; gel disposedon the second surface of the pad; and a gel integrity sensor coupled tothe circuit and disposed on the second surface of the pad, the gelintegrity sensor configured to: sense a characteristic associated withan integrity of the gel, and send, to the circuit, informationindicative of the sensed characteristic associated with the integrity ofthe gel, and the processor configured to process the information todetermine a value associated with an integrity level of the gel.
 25. Thetherapy electrode of claim 24, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to cause, based at least in part on the value, aninterruption of first electrical signals to prevent an electrical shockfrom being delivered via the therapy electrode while allowing secondelectrical signals to be transmitted from the therapy electrode to amedical device that is coupled to the therapy electrode.
 26. The therapyelectrode of claim 25, wherein causing the interruption based at leastin part on the value comprises: determining, by the processor, that thevalue is not within a predetermined range; and causing the interruptionbased at least in part on determining that the value is not within thepredetermined range.
 27. An electrode configured to deliver anelectrical shock, the electrode comprising: a pad having a first surfaceand a second surface opposite the first surface; a circuit disposed onthe first surface of the pad; gel disposed on the second surface of thepad; and a gel integrity sensor coupled to the circuit and disposed onthe second surface of the pad, the gel integrity sensor configured to:sense a characteristic associated with an integrity of the gel, andsend, to the circuit, information indicative of the sensedcharacteristic associated with the integrity of the gel, and the circuitconfigured to determine, based at least in part on the information, anintegrity level of the gel.
 28. The electrode of claim 27, wherein thecircuit is further configured to cause, based at least in part on theintegrity level of the gel, an interruption of first electrical signalsto prevent the electrical shock from being delivered via the electrodewhile allowing second electrical signals to be transmitted from theelectrode to a medical device that is coupled to the electrode.
 29. Theelectrode of claim 28, wherein causing the interruption based at leastin part on the integrity level of the gel comprises: determining, by thecircuit, that a value associated with the integrity level of the gel isnot within a predetermined range; and causing the interruption based atleast in part on determining that the value is not within thepredetermined range.
 30. The electrode of claim 28, wherein the medicaldevice comprises a defibrillator.